COMMITMENT PROFILE
In the accelerated age of college foot-
ball recruiting, a prospect that enters
his junior year without any Division I
scholarship offers is — somehow —
already considered late to the game.
However, that doesn't doom him
to a career playing at a lesser level.
Especially playing at an out-of-the-
way program in southwest Michigan,
where a prospect can see his film get
out a little later and the pace can be a
little slower, he can still end up with a
top-notch institution.
That was the case for Berrien
Springs (Mich.) High 2017 defensive
lineman Phillip Paea, who is rated as
a three-star prospect and the No. 8
player in Michigan by Rivals.com. He
started his junior year with no scholar-
ship offers and headed on unofficial
visits to Ann Arbor for a couple of the
Wolverines' early season home games
with his teammates.
It was the second of those visits
— for the BYU game Sept. 26 — that
finally saw him earn his first scholar-
ship offer. Oddly, it wasn't the Wolver-
ines, but rather the visiting Cougars,
who broke the ice.
Oregon followed during the year,
but his third scholarship offer didn't
Rivals.com lists Paea as a three-star talent
and the No. 8 prospect in Michigan.
PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN
Lineman Phillip Paea Chooses
To Stay Close To Home